The Pretender
by BK3193
Summary: Peyton left years ago. Brooke realized in her friend's absence that she was in love with the blonde. She gets a call saying the blonde was in an accident and has major memory loss. This is Brooke's second chance to get everything she wants, will it work? What if Peyton remembers the truth? AU Breyton may turn M
1. Chapter 1

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Brooke Davis, famous fashion designer and owner/founder of the nationally known Clothes over Bros, had everything a person could ever wish for, even at the young age of 23. Her name was known far and wide. Her designs were recognized and loved by many. The young woman was gorgeous and had more money than she even knew what to do with. Simply put, Brooke Davis could rule the world. However, as the fashionista sat in her amazing city view penthouse in upscale New York, she couldn't help but feel any more miserable.

The brunette lounged, stretched across her luxury couch with a glass of fine red wine. The open bottle sat half empty on the coffee table next to her. She was dressed in her comfiest pjs and wrapped in a plush blanket. Her eyes ventured through the photo album sitting on her lap, mourning the lack of warmth and happiness present in the photos of her past. Her eyes teared up as she looked over the still frames of her friends, the people she once considered family. It had been years since she had felt that close to anyone. Looking back, it probably all started when her other half had ran off in the middle of the night, right after their graduation...

Flashback

It had only been a few days since everyone had graduated from high school. All of our friendships had been on thin ice lately. Nathan and Haley had been arguing but had quickly made up once Haley's water broke just the day after graduation. Lucas and Brooke themselves were tense around each other, but were working through it as they had officially decided to get back together. To help things keep sailing smoothly, Lucas had avoided Peyton at all times. Brooke was still hell bent on cutting the blonde out of her life and was doing great, seeing as how she hadn't seen her since the ceremony. Even though each had been dealing with their own problems, they had pulled together and sat in tense silence as they awaited the birth of James Lucas Scott. Only one was missing.

Nathan couldn't believe it at the time that Peyton wouldn't come to meet his son. He honestly figured maybe she hadn't heard about it, seeing as how her father had returned the day after graduation. Assuming since no one else had been willing to see the blonde, he took it upon himself to go retrieve her. She was after all one of his closest friends. He had been puzzled though when he got to her house to see her father gone. He had only been there for one day. He usually made it a point to at least stay for a few days. Nathan was even more confused though when no one answered the door and why it was locked to begin with.

He looked back to double check that, yes, the Comet was still sitting in the driveway. Knowing that while he had been distant from the blonde recently, they hadn't been fighting so he saw no reason why she would refuse to open the door. Giving up after ten minutes, he returned to the hospital. The group had been surprised that he had returned without one skinny blonde in tow. And while even she has no idea why, this only seemed to infuriate the brunette girl further. Even Brooke thought that Peyton should have stepped up and showed up to celebrate the baby's arrival, no matter what was going on with the rest of them.

Before she knew it, her uncharacteristic rage drove her straight back over to her ex best friend's home. Not even bothering with the door, she took out her key and swung the door opened. She ignored the rest of the house, knowing it'd be empty, and marched up the stairs to the red bedroom.

"PEYTON! PEYTON YOU GET YOUR BONEY LITTLE ASS OUT HERE NOW!" She came to a stop in the middle of the room, next to the foot of the bed. She glared around the room and then moved to yank the red comforter from the bed. "PEYTON!" She threw the comforter down, screaming in anger as she saw the empty bed. Glancing around again, she stomped towards the bathroom door that was cracked open. She slammed the door open, "Peyton, so help me god. You are going to the fucking hospital to see that little boy. You can go back to being a crybaby back stabbing bitch after you are there for your friends!" She finished her rant, searching the dark and empty bathroom. At a loss, and starting to feel her rage settle down to frustration with just a tinge of rising fear, she walked once more to the middle of the room. She let out a rush of air and went to step forward, stopping when a crinkling sound reached her ears.

Looking down, the brunette saw a crumbled piece of paper under he shoe. Reaching down and picking it up, she sat it on the blonde's computer desk and did her best to straighten it before letting her eyes settle on its contents. What she say made her eyes widen in alarm. There was a black and white sketch of Haley, Nathan, Lucas, and herself at the forefront of the bottom of the page. They were each coupled off and looked extremely happy. Further away, in the background and shadows, stood a curly haired silhouette. Brooke could only assume it was meant to be Peyton herself. She was distanced from the others and had her back turned towards them, but was looking over her hunched shoulders to see them behind her. She had her arms wrapped around herself, looking like the very picture of despair. The top of the page read in scratchy font, "no reason to stay is one very good reason to leave."

Brooke felt the very air leave her lungs in a painful rush. In a sudden panic, she jumped into action, springing towards the closet. She checked and saw that the duffel bag the blonde kept for cheerleading trips was gone. She tripped in her rush to reach the dresser drawer. Pulling it out violently, she didn't even react when she yanked it completely out of the dresser and spilled its contents onto the floor. Ignoring the broken drawer that was laid out on the floor, she threw the clothes around, searching for her friend's favorite pair of jeans. She started to hyperventilate as she realized that they too were gone. As a last ditch effort, she moved to the bottom of the bedside, kneeling on the ground to glance under it. The fear she felt took over as she saw the guitar case that few knew were there was also missing.

The reality of the situation finally hit her. Peyton was gone. P. Sawyer, her Peyton, was gone. And she had no idea where or even when. She almost even wondered why, but in light of recent events and seeing as how her ex best friend had a terrible way of dealing with things, she really didn't have to. She shook her head in denial and collapsed back onto the bed. She stared at the paper in her hand and slowly felt herself break. Tears covered her face as she broke. This was her fault. She had always been Peyton's last leg to stand on, and taking that away from her, it's had been the last straw. She had driven Peyton away. This was her fault. This was her fault for making such a huge deal out of a stupid boy. She should have been stronger than this. They should have been stronger.

And just like that, all the hate she felt for herself at that moment spread to the rest of her friends. Lucas for coming between them, for driving in that damn wedge that started this whole mess. Haley for always being miss righteous and telling everyone to follow their hearts. Your heart only lead you to pain. Following those damn hearts got them into this mess. Nathan for not being there. Brooke knew, that next to her, he was Peyton's best friend. She managed to pull through for him the whole time him and Haley were fighting. Why couldn't he do the same. But then again, she wasn't much better. So after crying in the loss of her friend and hatred for herself and the others, she made a decision. She'd wait for Peyton. She'd wait for her to come back and when she did, because Brooke was certain she would, she would forgive her and they'd put this all to rest. It would be behind them and they'd get back to the way they used to be.

But that day never came. Brooke had returned to the hospital eventually to share the news. Everyone had been shocked and tried to pull together and look for her. Too much time had passed too quickly though and before they knew it, it was time for everyone to venture their own separate ways for college. Nathan and Haley went off to Duke with their son. Both were haunted by guilt for failing their friend and their relationship with their missing friend's ex BFF had grown tense. The brunette had become obsessed with waiting for the blonde to return, and then with trying to find her. She put everything else on the back burner, including her relationship, which he

Ad ultimately ended. Lucas and Brooke both were hurting tremendously over the blonde's departure and both were in horrible denial.

Lucas didn't want to upset Brooke by letting her know how much he really had cared for the blonde. Brooke had been tense and took even the smallest of words towards the blonde as being offensive. Many times she had snapped at Lucas, desperate to defend her missing friend I. Any way she could, any time she even thought he may be saying something negative towards her. And in her eyes, everyone else was negative towards her. Nobody was good enough for the blonde, not even Brooke herself. But she'd spend all the time in the world making that up to her old friend once she returned.

It had taken Brooke a year to realize why she felt so intensely about Peyton's absence and another year to accept that reason. She was in love with her. Brooke had thought it out, every scenario, every moment, every action. It all made sense. And as the years passed and her friends drifted off, it became easier to see. It had always been Brooke and Peyton. Them against the world. That's how it should have stayed. So one night when she was sitting alone in her New York apartment two years ago, she took it in. She, Brooke Davis, was in love with Peyton Sawyer. And she promised herself then and there, that once her friend returned, she'd shower her in that love. Even if the blonde only wanted to be friends, or even decided to hate her, she'd still give all her love to the blonde.

END FLASHBACK

Running her fingertips softly over a picture of the love of her life's face, she sobbed openly. Those words still held true. She loved Peyton Sawyer and would give her everything in the world if given the chance. She could only hope that she'd get that opportunity. She'd wait forever for the blonde if she had to. The brunette jumped when her phone rang, startling her from her thoughts. Quickly clearing her throat and swiping at her face, she answered the unknown number sounding raspier than normal.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this a miss Brooke Davis?"

"Yes, it is."

"Miss Davis, we have your friend, Peyton Sawyer, here at 's hospital. She was in a bad car accident and you were her emergency contact and next of kin. We tried contacting her father but were unable to reach him. It seems it may have been awhile since has updated her information."

I was frozen in my spot, dazed by the news. The words 'Peyton, accident, and hospital' all rang in my ears. All I could get out was a shaky, "Peyton."

"Yes, this is the right number, correct? Is there someone else I should have contacted?"

I panicked at the thought of her hanging up on me, I couldn't lose her! This was my chance to get Peyton back! "Um, no! I'm the right person! We've been together all our lives. I'm just shocked to hear this."

"Yes, well I do apologize. I know it's difficult to hear over the phone. However, we do need you to come down here. is in a bad way and should really have someone here to support her. Plus there will be medical decisions that need to be made..." She trailed off at the end.

I squinted at the phone, catching that little detail. "Medical decisions? Shouldn't Peyton make those herself?"

"Yes, well, , your friend isn't in the correct...state, to be able to make independent decisions."

"What? What does that mean?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot give that information over the phone. Just please get here as soon as you can. Our address is 2149 E. Clark St. Phoenix, Arizona."

"O-okay. I'll be there by tomorrow night." I let out in a shaky voice. I barely heard her wish me a goodnight as I hung up the phone and took it all in. Peyton was back. I was finally getting my second chance with her. But she was hurt, and I had no idea how bad. She needed me, that much I did know. And I'll be damned if I'm not there for her.

I jumped back on my phone, telling Millicent all that I would need. Being the amazing assistant that she is, she informed me that I had a flight in just four hours down to Phoenix and she already had a game plan to fend off the paparazzi and my mother. Hanging up the phone once more, I got busy packing. I was going to get my girl. "I'm coming P. Sawyer. Just hang in there for me baby."


	2. The bad news

Thanks everyone for so many positive reviews and interest in this story. I am super excited about it. Hope y'all like it and I'll try to update sooner! And PLEASE REVIEW! I love knowing what you all think!

Brooke POV

I barely remember the commute here. Everything whirled around me as I rushed through the airport, hassled the cab driver to hurry his ass up,and practically trampled an old lady on my way into the hospital. It was all just the white noise to my one single thought. 'Peyton, I have to get to Peyton'. It wasn't until I stood at the entrance desk that I even saw or thought clearly. I stepped up to see the middle aged woman on the phone, completely ignoring me. Taking a breath before I tore her head off, I tried to nicely get her attention.

"Excuse me, I need-"

"One moment-," she held her finger up at me without even glancing my way before she continued her conversation. "Yea, I know. I know! I don't know how she could sleep with him either! Girl!"

Feeling my temper flare, I reached out and slammed the receiver down on the phone holder. The woman shot me a pissy look before attempting to say something, but I beat her to it.

"Listen bitch, I don't give a shit about you or your petty conversations. In case you haven't noticed this is a hospital. People come in here nervous and afraid and just hoping to whoever will goddamn help that their loved one isn't dead. Now I hope you have more respect for those people, than to sit here and chit chat about how some cunt got crabs. Now, you WILL tell me where my girl is right NOW, or so help me I will have your job. And trust me, it'd be pretty damned easy. A big name like Brooke Davis giving a donation to this place, they'd throw out someone I didn't like in a matter of seconds."

Looking completely bewildered, the woman fumbled to get onto her computer. "Um, I'm sorry. W-who was it you said you were here for?"

Giving her a snide smirk I replied. "Peyton Sawyer."

"She's in ICU right now, room 1018. Would you like me to show you-"

"No, I'll find it myself." I cut her off and sent one last dirty look before setting off towards my destination. It didn't take long for me to find the ICU and upon entering their doors I went straight for the nurse's station. "Hello, I'm here for Peyton Sawyer."

"Brooke Davis?" She asked after picking up a Manila folder.

"Yes, the doctor called me." I answered quickly, now anxious about seeing the blonde and whatever state she was in.

"I'll page the doctor and have him meet you here. He wanted to speak with you before you visited."

I offered a nod before waiting impatiently for the doctor to arrive. Time had never passed so slow. I couldn't help but worry about why the doctor had wanted to speak with me before even allowing me to see her. Was it really that bad? She would be okay right? They expected her to live, to survive this?

My torrent of thoughts and worries was interrupted by a soft hand on my shoulder. I turned to see an old man in a white doctor's coat. His face was kind and he spoke gently to me.

" ?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Good. I've been worried about your friend and was hoping you'd show up soon."

"What's wrong with her?" The fear in my voice was almost palpable.

The doctor took a small breath before explaining the situation. "Well, you see, there are two big problems with . Obviously, her health and the physical damage from the accident. The other problem is more complicated though. I'm hoping you can help."

I stayed silent and nodded for him to continue.

"Her environment. You are the only person we have managed to reach for her. You are also the only one who has shown up or even asked about her. We were able to track down where she lives and works. Considering the long term effects of her injuries, her work place has terminated her. We are also concerned about her living alone, let alone in an apartment with only stairs."

Not liking the sound of that, I immediately question him. "Wait, why would that matter? So she can't live alone or do stairs? Wait, is she paralyzed? Can she not walk?" Tears filled my eyes before I could even finish speaking.

"No, no." He was quick to assure me. "She will temporarily be wheel chair bound, but with physical therapy, she should be up and going again just fine. Due to this though, living alone would be a major problem."

"She'll move back in with me. I live in New York, in the nicest of apartments. She'll be fine. I can take care of her and we have elevators-"

"Miss Davis, I don't believe a big city would be a very good option for her. The noise and business could very easily...overwhelm her at this stage."

He must see the confusion on my face because he lets out a sigh and continues. "Miss Sawyer is extremely lucky to be alive, much less to only have the damage she does. The downfall though, is that what damage she does have is quite extensive and long term healing wise."

I finally get the courage up and ask, "what exactly happened?"

"Miss Sawyer was T-boned by another vehicle. The driver was drunk and ran a red light. He hit her driver's side door and pinned her in it. Most of the damage is limited to the left side of her body. The door crushed her leg and managed to fracture her femur, dislocate her knee, and break her lower leg in two places. One of her ribs is cracked and her whole side is bruised. There was some internal bleeding, but we were able to stop it with emergency surgery. Her left arm has been broken. Both her leg and arm have already been set and put in casts. Her arm will be in a sling for about 3 weeks, then she should be fine with just the cast."

I took a breath and allowed myself to take this all in. She was broken and bruised, but she'd be okay.

"Now the tricky part is her head injury. When the other vehicle hit her it caused her head to hit the side of her door and bounce back once or twice. She initially lost consciousness, but on the ambulance ride here managed to wake up. She was actually conscious until we put her in a medically induced coma to let her body heal some."

"That's good than right?"

"Well, yes. However her behavior is what has me worried."

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, we will need to do more test when she reawakens, but when she was awake she was showing signs of amnesia and possible brain damage."

"What!?"

"Now, it's not as bad as it sounds. She simply couldn't seem to recall any previous events or information from her life. That isn't uncommon for anyone with a head injury. Chances are it's temporary and she will eventually regain at least some of her memory, if not all. It was slightly difficult to examine her though, because the other effect the impact seems to have had is that she has forgotten how to speak."

"So-so she's mute?"

"Not quite. We tested her brain activity and anatomy of the vocal chords and such. She is physically fine and should be perfectly able to speak. I believe it's more of a matter of forgetting how to do it. It's really just another part of the amnesia. Although it isn't very often, it does occur enough to be normal for a regular body function to be temporarily forgotten in a case of amnesia. She would simply need to be encouraged to speak and retaught. Usually patients with these problems remember how to properly do the function once they start to catch on in the relearning process."

"O-okay."

"Now, she would need 24/7 care, at least until she gets up and gets moving with her physical therapy. It is also very important that she is constantly supervised. She may still show the intelligence of an adult, but her exposure would be more like that of a child."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for instance, she may remember and automatically be able to eat perfectly fine, but even if she is eating her oldest favorite food, it may seem like she's eating it for the first time. It'd almost be new to her. It's hard to determine exactly though. Amnesia isn't something that's set in stone. Anything can be forgotten and anything can be remembered. Each individual experiences it differently."

"Okay. That's all fine. I can give her everything she needs. Can we move her to Tree Hill Hospital? It's in North Carolina"

"I thought you lived in New York?"

"I do, but you said that would be too busy for her. We both grew up together in Tree Hill. It's just a small, hole-in-the-wall town."

"That sounds like an excellent idea then. Perhaps being in her home town will help boost her memory too. Once we have her stabilized we will send out the recommendation. They will help take care of her from there and she should only need to stay there for about a week before she could be released into your care. Will you be sticking around until then?"

"I won't even leave her side."

The old man smiled before asking if I had any other questions. After answering no, he lead me to Peyton's room, warning me one more time how she might look a little rough, before leaving me alone.

I took a deep breath before opening the curtain to her little room. My eyes teared up the second I saw her. She looked so small, all wrapped up in that plaster and bandages. The stark white sheets made her look pale and small in the hospital bed. I gulped and slowly stepped over to her. Gripping her good hand in my own, I looked her over with tears cascading down my cheeks. She was so beautiful. No longer the girl I had known. Now she was the woman I wanted to love for the rest of my life. Her hair had lowlights now and sat in bigger, looser curls than she used to wear as a teenager. Her skin was smooth and clear as I swept my other hand across a bruised cheek. I placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Peyton. Pey baby. It's me..." I trail off and lose my voice in a sob. I squeeze her hand as I regain control. "I know it's been a long time...too long. And I know that's my fault. And I am so, so sorry for that. And you may not remember all of that, but I am gonna make it up to you when you wake up. I am going to love you and give you everything, and I swear, when you get your memory back, I will be there for you. I will be whatever you want me too be, cause you're my P. Sawyer. And I'm your B. Davis. Me and you against the world blondie. Always and forever." Sobbing again, I squeezed her hand and whispered hoarsely in her ear, "I love you Peyton." And I let the tears fall freely as I laid a kiss firmly on her forehead and just let it rest there. I let myself be weak now, because I knew once Peyton woke up, I'd have to be strong enough for both of us...


	3. The Awakening

Two weeks had passed before Peyton had been deemed stable enough to be transported to Tree Hill Hospital. Within that time, Brooke had managed to set up a new home for the both of them in the small town. She had bought a dream house on the beach that she was sure Peyton would love exploring, but would be isolated enough to still be serene. The brunette managed to get all of her stuff and Peyton's shipped off to the new house. She had figured she'd sort through what would actually be kept at the house during the week Peyton would be at the hospital in the town.

She had been completely true to her word and not left the blonde's side. All the business she had done had been done over the phone and besides one trip to pick up some supplies and clothes, the hospital had allowed her to stay overnight during the blonde's stay in Arizona. Now that they were in Tree Hill, she had been forced to leave more often to prepare for the blonde. Within just the first few days in town though, she had managed to get the house fully organized and stocked up. She had even moved Millicent over to the small town and they had gotten the ball rolling on opening a small Clothes Over Bros in town. After all, Brooke planned on being here for quite some time.

Currently, the fashion designer waited impatiently at the blonde's bedside. Today was the day she would wake up. The doctors had said she was healed enough to be awoken, they'd just have to make sure she didn't go into any sort of shock from the situation. So they waited for her friend to wake up and were going to see how she reacts. They'd definitely have to do more tests to asses the degree of her amnesia, but the doctor told her he thought it'd be good for Peyton to give them some sort of a clue as to where to start.

Brooke couldn't contain her excitement as she waited for any sign of consciousness from the woman she loved. She held Peyton's good hand in both of her own and watched her face as she talked about anything and everything to her unconscious friend.

"And I still can't believe how it ended. I mean, who wants to see a movie where everyone dies at the end? How depressing is that?" ... "Ya know P. Sawyer, you probably would have liked it. You always did complain about how every movie ended the same way, all gushy and happy and what not." She chuckled some to herself. "You were always so pessimistic about the stupid little small things...but on the big stuff," her eyes lightened up and she spoke in a soft loving tone, "on the big stuff, you always swore that there was better things. For an emo Barbie you sure did believe in a lot of good in the world. It always kinda amazed me...how someone who had been through so much could still have that raw hope." ... "Just...if...if I could just be like that..."

A slight tap on her palm caught her attention and her eyes refocused on the blonde's face. "Peyton?" She squeaked out in a whisper. Another, stronger tap had her standing up, holding the girl's hand in one of her own and pressing it to her chest. The other went to stroke the woman's cheek as she stared hard into the other's face, searching for any movement. Only a second passed before she saw closed eyelids twitch and begin to move. A nose crinkled and brows furrowed. A frown crossed her face as her lids fluttered, barely revealing emerald eyes. Brooke let out a gasp and tears poured down her face as a smile overtook her. "Peyton!"

She felt the blonde turn into her hand some and a breathy giggle escaped her. Heavy eyes finally opened fully, blinking against the harsh light, before the emerald gaze met hazel. Confusion showed on the now conscious woman's face before her eyebrows shot up into her hairline and a mix of surprise and elation came over her. A muffled sound escaped her throat and she tried to suddenly sit up, using the hand being held to try and pull the brunette towards her. A whimper escaped her though and she crashed back onto the bed. Brooke immediately leaned over her, checking the girl over. "Oh my god, are you okay!? You can't do that baby! You have to sit still and lay down. You're gonna hurt yourself more."

Green eyes flicked back up to the brunette above her, pain and worry shining in them. She rubbed her friend's cheek again and squeezed her hand , trying to calm her, as she realized how fast the heart monitor had started beeping. Just a second later, two nurses flew in the room. Brooke looked away from her friend and told them in an exhausted,overjoyed tone, "she's awake. Peyton's awake." The tears rolled freely down her face once more, finally feeling a sort of relief from being able to say that. Even if she had known the whole time that her friend would awake, it relieved her to actually see her up, and saying that her friend was awake made it all the more real.

One nurse walked further into the room, working around Brooke to check Peyton's vitals. The other had slipped out to retrieve the doctor. She soon returned with the old man in tow. "So I hear we finally decided to get up hmm?" He asked kindly, coming to stand across from Brooke on the other side of the bed. The room was silent as all watched the blonde look away from the doctor and stare anxiously towards the brunette, trying with weak tugs to pull her closer and lean away from the man.

Brooke shot him an apologetic look but he only offered a smile to them both before he moved on. "So, do you know your name?" He asked kindly, addressing his patient. The blonde offered a small nod, glancing back and forth nervously between the doctor and brunette still. "Is it Susie?" She shot him an offended look and shook her head vigorously. This earned a small chuckle from the room. "Peyton?" He asked once more. This time she showed a hesitant smile and small nod. Brooke squeezed her hand and gave an encouraging smile to her friend.

"Okay Peyton, obviously you feel comfortable with this woman, correct?" He pointed towards Brooke. He received another vigorous nod. "So you remember her?" Another nod. "You know Brooke?" He asked one more time. This time all he got was a confused look. His face fell and Brooke's screwed up in a worried look. "Do you know this woman's name?" He gestured towards Brooke once more.

Peyton stared at the woman, thinking hard. A couple moments passed in a tense silence before her face started to show confusion. Glancing between the doctor and the woman holding her hand, she started to get upset and tears were building up in her eyes. Brooke stepped closer to her, running her hand through her friend's messy hair. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't cry baby." Sharing a look, the blonde calmed down some. Suddenly the doctor was handing her a pen and pad of paper. "Could you do me a small favor Peyton?" She hesitated before nodding, her uncertainty clear on her face.

"Could you write one thing you remember on the top of this page? And on the bottom, write what the last thing you remember is?"

Peyton only stared at him before looking down at the paper. Taking the pen in hand she pressed it to the pad, before freezing. She gave another stressed, confused look to the brunette. Brooke asked in the most gentle voice, "what sweetie? Can you not remember anything?" She shook her head and looked down once again. The doctor spoke up once again.

"Do you know how to write Peyton?" She glanced up, looking ashamed and embarrassed. Brooke tried to keep her worry at bay, concerned that the damage to her memory had been worse than expected. "Well, that makes this a little more complicated..." The man trailed off, unsure how to go about the situation. A light bulb went off in Brooke's head though and she grabbed the blondes hand once more. "Peyt, baby, can you draw?" Just like that, green eyes lit up and she nodded. "Yea? Well do you think you could draw these then?" She nodded back, wiggling her hand free and scooping up the pen. She concentrated on her work. "Brooke could I see you outside?" The brunette went to go walk away but a squeak caused both of them to turn around.

Peyton was sitting up as much as she could and had a panicked look in her face. Brooke rushed back to her side and leaned her face down next to the distresses woman's. "Hey, it's okay. I'll be right back Peyt. I promise P. Sawyer, I'll only be gone a minute. I just need to talk to this nice man, okay. Then I'll be right back and we'll hang out. And then you can show me those pretty pictures you're drawing okay?" She kissed her forehead and wiped away the few tears that streaked the blonde's face. She leaned back and waited to get a nod before giving her one more kiss on the head and leaving the room with the doctor. They stepped just outside the room where the girls could still slightly see each other through the cracked open blinds of the hospital room.

Brooke POV

"So?" I asked immediately after the door shut behind us.

The doctor let out a sigh before answering me. "Well, it's good and bad. She seems to remember you, even if she doesn't remember who you are. It's likely that she remembers the feelings between you two and your relationship, even if she doesn't remember what's actually happened between the both of you. She seems promising though, and honestly, I am expecting her to be able to regain at least most of her memory. I'll know a little more about that though once I see what she draws up for us. As far as the memory loss of functions, that is a little worse than I had expected. The fact that she hasn't even tried to talk shows that she probably has no recollection of ever doing so. Reteaching her may prove somewhat difficult, however she could still pick it up easily. We will just have to wait and see."

"Since she has apparently also forgotten how to write, it could make communicating somewhat difficult. Her remembering how to draw is good though. It will allow her some way to communicate, other than playing charades. You two do seem to understand each other quite well as is though. That will be a major help. Either way though, writing will just be another thing she will need to be retaught. She seems rather competent and physically fine. She has no physical damage showing through, like shakes, tremors, or narcolepsy. She knows what things are, like how she knows what writing is, just not how to do it. Just remember what I said about her being new to things. We will need to do a few more tests on her brain activity, but all in all , I believe that with a lot of hard work, Peyton could be back to almost 100%, if not completely to her old self."

"She should be set to go home in a week. Her casts will be changed and she'll be out of the slings. We'll get her used to the wheelchair this week and get her moving and back in a daily routine, just to help expose her to daily things. I would also suggest you hanging around as much as possible, to help her in the process of going home with you. Even though she already remembers you, I'd like to make sure she is comfortable with you caring for her. I'd also like to be sure you have a good amount of time to learn how to care for her and her wounds."

I cried with relief, bawled my eyes out right there in the hallway. I jumped forward and hugged the old man, not caring about formalities and inappropriate behavior. "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. You don't know...just...thank you!" I released him and gave a huge smile, wiping the tears from my face.

He gave me another kind smile. "Are you ready to go back in there with your girl?"

I nodded, choking up again.

"Let's go see what she's got drawn for us, hmmm?"

And we walked back in the room, Peyton's face lighting up just as mine did when we met each other's gaze. I rushed over to hear, wrapping her awkwardly in a hug and kissing her cheek. She looked up at me with a smile and my heart melted. "So Pey baby, let's see those pretty pictures."


	4. The Lie to Start All Lies

Don't forget to review! Happy Holidays to you all!

"Just be careful! No! Not like that! You're gonna hurt her! Stop it! Be easier! Don't hold her like that! Don't pull on her!" I jumbled out in a rush. Anxiety and worry filled my tone and showed like a glaring red balloon on my face. I stood next to the male nurse and Peyton, holding the door open for him to help Peyton get in the passenger seat of my car. My arms flapped around as I tried to direct the man moving Peyton from her wheelchair. I couldn't help the anger from coming through at him every time I saw her flinch even the tiniest bit at any pain. It didn't help that she kept looking at me with an adorable confused face every time the man stopped trying to move her to listen to me when I went off on a tantrum to him.

After lots of huffing and eye rolling on the nurse's part and worry filled ranting and raving on my part, Peyton was loaded and we were finally leaving the hospital, heading towards our new waiting home. As soon as we pulled out on the street I felt her grab my hand. Flipping it over and squeezing her's before intertwining our fingers, I shot a smile in her direction. She gave me one back before turning to watch the world pass by in the window. We stayed silent for the entirety of the drive. Peyton examining the world with wide eyes, and me watching her from the corner of mine. Arriving at the house, I pulled into the driveway and parked. I turned towards my blonde, pulling her hand in mine up to my lips and laid a gentle kiss on the soft skin.

"We're home sweetie. Now you stay right here and I'll come around and help you get into your chair." I waited for her to nod before releasing her hand and sliding out of the car. I quickly got her wheelchair out of the trunk and rolled it to the passes singer door. I opened the door for her and leaned down to give her a kiss on her forehead before taking both of her hands in mine. "Alright Peyt, I need to get you in your chair and in the house. I'm gonna grab your legs and pull them out the door. Then you can wrap your arm around my neck and I'll lift you up real quick and get you in the seat" I waited for another nod before moving to do anything.

After a couple of minutes of awkward movement, Peyton was settled in the wheelchair. My heart clenched with guilt though as she now looked uncomfortable and kept fidgeting to get into a less painful position. Glancing at the clock, I noticed that her pain meds should be wearing off about now. Standing in front of her, I kneeled down to be more on her level. "Hey sweetie, I know you're not very comfy, your due for your pain meds. How about we go in and set you up on the bed and then I'll make us something to eat. Then you can take your medicine and a nap. Sound good?" She gave me a small smile and nod. I took up my spot behind her and pushed her into the house.

I couldn't help the pride I felt at the amazed look Peyton had on her face when we first got in the front door. Her green eyes were huge as she looked over everything and took it all in. She was acting like it was all completely new to her...not that she had to know just how true that statement was. Clearing my throat, I leaned down and spoke softly into her ear. "So you like it?" She numbly nods and is still looking around with that amazed look on her face. She looks like a kid who just walked into a candy store for the first time, and it's absolutely adorable. I had always dreamed of this. Me surprising Peyton and buying her dream house, what her reaction would be, how she'd be amazed and kiss me, and then maybe even make love when I showed her the extra rooms for our future children... Snapping back into reality, I blinked and looked sideways to see her still analyzing everything. Sure, it wasn't how I had ever imagined it, but hey, we were here. And I couldn't help but love it.

I kissed her cheek softly, finally gaining her attention. She turned her head and we were so close that our noses brushed against each other's. She didn't seem to kind though and shot me a gorgeous full smile. I couldn't help but show her one of my own. She let her eyes close and tilted her head just a bit more, resting her forehead against my own. I let out a sigh at this motion. I couldn't stand being this close to her. She was so gorgeous like this. The urge to kiss her was taking over me, the feeling from all of these years hitting my all at once. This time I couldn't fight it. I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes too, before pressing my lips against hers.

The kiss was soft and I was surprised and elated when she didn't flinch away. It only took her a second to respond. I almost died and went to heaven when I felt her press back into the kiss. It stayed soft and gentle, just pressing our lips together and enjoying being so close to one another. It was still the most heart racing, exhilarating, best thing I had experienced in my life. A minute passed before I pulled just enough away to look I to her eyes. And when emerald did come into view, they were filled with nothing but love, and again, I felt warmth flood my heart. Before I really lost control and jumped her, I pressed one more quick kiss to her lips and pulled away from her, standing up this time.

"Come on baby, let's get you into bed." Thirty minutes later, I was just finishing our chicken noodle soup. Peyton was all set up in our temporary bedroom downstairs. I had asked if she wanted me to sleep somewhere else, I was so worried I'd hurt her in our sleep, but she had started to panic again, whipping her head around to say 'no' and clinging to me. When I had calmed her down again, she had laid back against our pillows and settled for some channel surfing on the tv while I went to cook our lunch.

Walking back into the room with our bowls of soup and her pain pills, it surprised me to see the sketch pad in her lap. She looked up at me when I walked in the room and watched me as I came to stand by the nightstand I had out right next to her side of the bed. I set everything down and moved to sit by her legs, concerned that she had needed me for something. Since she could apparently only draw for the time being, I left her sketch pad and art supplies on the nightstand, in case she needed to tell me something. I also left a bell, for if she nodded me and I was out of the room.

"What ya drawing there blondie? Did you need to tell me something?" I set my hand on her good leg and give it a small squeeze. She looks hesitantly at me and then the book in her lap, glancing back and forth between the two. "It's alright P. Whatever it is, it's okay. I won't be upset or anything. I want to do everything I can to get you better baby." She still looks nervous but takes a breath before nodding and handing the book to me.

I take it slowly, being sure to smile at her and let her know that it's okay. That I'm comfortable with whatever it is. I'm surprised though when I see the page has been boxed off to make three separate panels. The first one shows two girls walking around in some kind of store. They are walking with about a foot between them, but are looking at each other and appear to be laughing. I assume that they are supposed to be friends.

The next panel shows the two same girls sitting so close on a couch that their sides are pressed together. There is a coffee table in front of them, covered in snacks. The glow from the front of the girls gives me a hint that they are watching a movie together. I can't help but think of all the times Peyton and I have done this as best friends...hm.

The third section of the drawing is the most interesting. The two girls are wrapped around each other this time. Arms are wrapped around necks and waists. Fingers are going through silky hair. The girls are kissing in this picture. Judging by the way they are holding each other, they are obviously together and in love. What really gets my attention is that these two girls are Peyton and I, and the big black question mark sitting at the very top of the page.

Thinking I understand what she's asking, I look up to her just to be sure. "Do you mean...which one we are?" I try my best not to let my emotions come through, to keep an even tone and face, but I can't help the hope from coming through the cracks. She again hesitantly nods. Smiling, I take the black pen from her and look down at the picture. Taking a deep breath and thinking about what I'm doing, I glance one last time at Peyton and decide it's worth it. I circle the answer for her and slowly hand it back to her.

She takes it and flips it over just as slowly, like she's afraid of what she's going to find. Upon seeing where I've marked, a huge smile takes over her face and she stares at me, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She immediately reaches out for me, and feeling as giddy and happy as I do at her response I waste no time in getting closer to her. Our lips meet again and this time the kiss lasts for what seems like forever, even if it does still stay soft. We are just lost in each other and the feeling of all of this. The picture she has drawn is sitting forgotten on the bed beside us. The black heart outline around the two girls kissing stands out against the white background, like a drawn out picture of this very moment. The tiny shadow of guilt in my heart for lying is completely overtaken by the light of the love that I'm feeling, and I let myself forget about it.


	5. Dirty Little Secret

To On The Hill- thanks again for always reviewing. Keep it up! And yes, keeping it a secret will be very hard for Brooke, you'll just have to wait and see how things turn out

To Guest- I do hope you are enjoying the story. I'd love to hear from you again.

NOTE- so Brooke came off sounding a bit more crazy at the end the I had originally meant for her to, but in this series she is a bit obsessive. Sorry if this chapter isn't so good. I wrote it once and then accidentally deleted it and tried remembering what I wrote when I did it the second time. So I do hope y'all like it, please leave a review and let me know what you think! I look forward to what's to come in this story, and am very excited about writing it!

Brooke POV

Warmth. It was the first thing I felt upon waking up the next morning. I yawned and started to stretch, suddenly aware of a weight holding me down. Opening my eyes fully, I turned my head to look down, but was met with a head full of blonde curls. It took me a minute, but then I smiled remembering the events of last night. I pressed a kiss into Peyton's hair, being careful to avoid the spot that had only just recently had stitches removed from it. I used the arm that was tucked under and around her to hold her just a little tighter to me. I smiled to myself again, thinking back to last night.

Peyton had been acting super sweet to me ever since I lied, or uh, reminded her that we were together. We had ate our soup, I ended up helping Peyton because she couldn't hold both the spoon and bowl with one arm in a cast. Then I had her lie down, which she refused to do alone. I had been surprised when I had laid down and she immediately cuddled up to me. She laid her head in the crook of my neck and tried her best to roll on her side and into me. After a couple of minutes she had managed to cuddle into my side. She had even been kissing me, some on my neck or under the chin. Once in awhile she'd stretch up and kiss me softly on the lips. I even laid a few of my own on her.

Her casted forearm laid heavily over my stomach. The open end allowed her fingers the freedom to move around. At the moment though, they were clinging to my shirt as best they could. Peyton's damaged leg was carefully thrown over both of my own. The cast that covered from her knee to her toes felt hard and rough against my soft skin. Her other leg sat parallel to my left one, allowing me a feel of how smooth her skin actually was. We hadn't moved since last night. I smiled into her hair again, just enjoying having her in my arms after not even having her in my life for so long.

A moan broke me from my thoughts and had me dragging my eyes back up to her face. She tilted her head to look up at me, head still nestled into my neck. Her eyes half opened and met the gaze of my own. "Good morning sweetie." I pressed a kiss to her forehead. She smiled sleepily and moved her lips in what looked like the mouthing of words. No sound accompanied the movements though. I couldn't help but wonder if she was starting to try to talk, so I decided to test it out. "You okay baby? How are you feeling?" The only response I got was a small smile and nod, before she snuggle back down into me. I fought back the disappointment, and instead gave her another sweet kiss on the forehead. I would have to make sure to mention this to the doctor when they called to check on her later though. For the moment we just enjoyed being comfortable together. We stayed like that until about noon.

I finally got us up and dressed, knowing Peyton needed to eat and take her medicine. I wore a comfortable pair of jeans and a fitted black tank top with the COB label on the front. I had dressed Peyton in a (sexy) satin white COB nightgown. The spaghetti strap top was comfortable, light, and easy to get over her casted arm. The fitted gown reached mid thigh length and avoided the whole issue of having to work a pair of jeans over the bulky cast on her leg. The fact that it showed off her sexy body was just a total plus.

I had gotten her into her wheelchair and moved her to sit at one end of the dining table. At least sitting here she should be able to let the bowl sit on the table and eat by herself. I moved into the kitchen to get a couple bowls of cereal made for us. I was well aware of green eyes following my every movement, and if I was honest with myself, I was loving it. I even made sure to out an extra swing in my hips as I moved across the kitchen. I had already gotten our favorite cereals poured in the bowls, Cocoa Puffs for Peyton and Rice Crispies for me, when I opened the refrigerator and froze. I groaned loudly and smacked my forehead. Apparently I had managed to get a whole house set up in just a week, but forgot to get milk. Go figure.

I sighed to myself, debating on what to do. I really didn't feel like cooking though, and quickly decided to just take a quick run to the store in town. I closed the door and turned to see a confused look on my blonde's face. She was probably wondering what was in the fridge that could have possibly gotten that kind of reaction from me. I smiled to her and kneeled down by her legs, putting my hands on her knees. "Alright sweetie, I need to make a quick run to the store. Apparently I forgot to get milk. Of all things..." I grumbled out at the end. "I'll only be gone like ten minutes, I'll be right back. I promise I'll hurry. I can even wheel you into the living room and you can watch whatever you want on tv. There is even some music channels on there. Are you okay with that?" She smiled and nodded down to me. "And you're sure you'll be okay here by yourself?" My worrying started to come back. She laughed some and put her hands over mine, squeezing them lightly. She again nodded.

Her lips moved again as if to say something, and I immediately focused my ears, but still heard nothing. When she finished she squeezed my hands again and smiled at me lovingly. All I could manage was a sad smile back. It was obvious that she thought she had spoken. It broke my heart to not be able to answer her, and I felt horrible that she was trying to communicate and it must have seemed like I was either ignoring what she said or just not listening. Trying to make the problem not noticeable, I just nodded along and kissed her good hand. I didn't want her to know that there was a problem with her, I was just hoping she'd subconsciously fix it like the doctor said. I didn't want to draw attention to it and freak her out.

I stood up, giving her a sweet peck on the lips, before moving her into the living room. I parked her in the middle of the room, just in front of the couch where she could easily see the tv screen. I pulled the throw blanket off of the back of the couch and laid it over her legs. I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and tucked it in the side of the seat by her leg. Lastly, I picked up her cell phone and the remote and placed both in her lap. "Okay sweetie. Here's the remote, you can watch whatever you want. If you need me for anything, and I mean anything, then just text my cell phone okay?" Once she nodded again I smiled and kissed her cheek. "Okay. I'll be right back. I love you." I told her before heading out the door, being sure to lock it behind me.

At the Store

I walked through the store, double checking to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything else, carrying my carton of milk right along with me. I was just about to turn into the sauce and seasons aisle when I almost ran into someone's cart. The tall dirty blonde haired woman moved from around her cart and apologized.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"Oh, no, it was my fault. I should have been watching where I was going and-"

"Lindsay!" A male voice cut me off. We both turned to look behind her, looking to see who had called out. I was surprised to see someone I knew. The man came up to the other woman's side. "Is this the right one?" He asked, holding up a steak rub.

"Oh, yea. Sorry, I was just apologizing to-"

The blonde man turned to look at me as she was talking and lit up the second his eyes hit me. "Brooke!"

"Hey Luke." I say a little uncertainly. He then steps forward and wraps me in a huge hug before stepping back and wrapping an arm around the other woman. "Oh, Brooke this is Lindsay Strauss-Scott, Lindsay this is Brooke Davis. Lindsay is my beautiful wife, and Brooke here is the owner of Clothes Over Bros." He spoke with pride and happiness in his voice. I couldn't help but smile knowing that he ended up happy.

"Oh, well it's nice to meet you then Brooke." Lindsay shook my hand before Luke cut in again.

"Yea, we've been looking for you to show up around town."

"What!?" Oh my god, did he know about what happened with Peyton!?

"Well, with a new COB opening in town, we kinda figured you'd be showing up at some point."

"Oh, um, yea." I try to recover, not letting my relief show.

"Yea, so how long are you gonna be in town?"

"Well, permanently actually, as long as everything works out..." I trail off.

"That's great! It'll be just like old times!" Lucas must have seen my confused look because he goes on to explain, "everyone else has lived here in town for the last few years. Haley is a high school teacher and Nathan and Skills teach the basketball team. I'm a writer and Lindsay here is my editor. But she does have to go to New York sometimes."

"Oh, wow. I didn't know you were all back here in town." I say, genuinely surprised.

"Yup, the only ones who stayed gone were you and Peyton." Once the words are out he immediately has a look of regret at mentioning the name. "Um, I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean to-"

"Luke, it's okay." I tell him calmly.

He eyes my incredulously. "You're being very...calm about this." He says hesitantly.

I smile again and just hum in response.

"So...are you still...you know...looking for her?"

I give him a serious look. "I told you before, I wouldn't stop looking til I found her. I still mean that."

He just nods quickly in return and we are plunged into an awkward silence.

Lindsay finally breaks the tension. "So, we are having dinner for the gang at our place. You should come."

Lucas is quick to back her up. "Yea, come on Brooke. Everyone misses you. You haven't really spoken to anyone in years. They'd all be happy to see you. Haley's been worried sick. And little Jamie would love to meet his Godmother."

"Uh, no, I really couldn't."

"C'mon Brooke, it's just dinner." Luke persists.

"No, really. I just got back into town, and I still have so much to do..."

"Okay, well we could come over to your place." Lindsay tries to offer.

"Yea, and we could help you set everything up. C'mon, you're even getting a dinner out of it. Dinner and free labor." Lucas tries to tempt me.

"It'll be like a welcome home party." Lindsay pops in again.

"Guys, no, really-"

"Brooke just-"

"STOP!" I say a little louder than I mean t, cutting Lucas off. I continue in a calmer voice. "Just, stop. Please. I just got back into town, this town. And that alone isn't easy. Not without her being here. I just need to get used to that first, okay? Just...let me get used to being back here again before I face everybody else." I really hope that I sounded convincing, that they'll hear my desperate tone and drop it.

The both look like they just kicked my puppy and let it go. Lucas hugs me again though and tells me softly. "Okay Brooke. But we are here for you. Don't forget that. Whenever you're ready. But, don't be a stranger okay. Just, promise you will stop by and say hey once in awhile? And you'll go see Jamie? Just see everyone, one on one, so they know you're alive, okay?"

I nod promise to come around until I'm ready to really be a part of the group again. Before I know it I'm waiting in a check out line, thinking over everything that had just happened. I did miss my old friends, but I don't regret leaving them, not when it was to look for my P. Sawyer. She would always mean the most to me, above everything else. She is my world. Now all I could think about though, was now that they would know that I was back in town, how would I keep Peyton away from them. They wouldn't understand that what I'm doing is what's best for her. They'd fight me on it, they'd tell her, they'd ruin everything. And I couldn't lose this. I just got Peyton back after all of those horrible years of not having her, I couldn't lose her again. And I'd do anything to make sure I didn't.


	6. Bath Time and Busted Bubbles

Happy New Years everyone! Enjoy, be safe, and don't forget to review!

Brooke POV

Two weeks seemed to pass before Brooke could even blink. The brunette had been lost to time thanks to the chaotic scheme her friends seemed to have come up with. Ever since her run in with the blondes, her old friends had been coming around, trying to get her out of the house. It had been tedious keeping Peyton out of their sight, and even more so explaining to Peyton why so many 'deliveries' kept coming to the house. Thankfully, she just accepted my excuses, only being upset about how many times they had interrupted our time together.

Our friends weren't so easy to please. Oh no, I've gotten quite used to the strange and worried looks I get when I won't let them in the house. Then there's the couple times I've damn near had a heart attack because they, *cough cough Naley cough*, push themselves through the door. I've just been lucky that the couple of times that they've done it, Peyton's luckily been upstairs and asleep.

Overall, dodging old friends and supplying endless excuses to everyone, friends for me not leaving the house and Peyton for the deliveries that I never let her see Hyde nor hair of, was ungodly exhausting. My only relief was the time I spent with Peyton. Honestly, I loved taking care of her, maybe even a little too much. And I found myself completely smitten with how cuddly and dependent she had been behaving. I have to admit, I'm gonna miss this vulnerable side of Peyton when she's all good and back to herself. That's something else...getting back to her old self.

I know the doctor said her recovering her memory is a one hundred percent chance thing, but what happens if she does? What if I get attached and we fall in love and all of these amazing things, and then she remembers all the horrible things that happened between us before she left. And I don't even know how bad the last few years would be for her to remember. It scares me, it really does. And everyday she seems to get better, at least in the physical sense. As far as I can tell, she still doesn't remember anything other than what I have told and shown her. In a way though, I know it makes me a horrible friend and probably a horrible person, but I almost don't want her to get better. At least not memory wise.

I don't know what I'd do if Peyton wanted to leave me again. I need her. I need her to need me. I don't know how I'd live without her again. After finally getting her back, after finally having her the way I've always wanted her. But I can't let myself think about that. I have to focus on us, right now. I have to focus on Peyton physically getting better. Though I'm glad to say, that with my help and the doctors' advice, she has been doing well.

She should only be in the casts for a few more weeks, and then she'll have some physical therapy just to get her strength back up. And her communication has been getting progressively better every day almost. She was starting to remember how to write some, being able to write out some words here and there. Having her 'draw' the letters of the alphabet daily seemed to have helped majorly, as the therapist said it would. She could even already spell out both of our whole names, which she did remember all on her own. Plus she was remembering how to write more words as each day passed.

As far as her speech went, it was also improving, albeit more slowly. She was still doing the silent speaking thing, which the therapist had explained to me was a very good sign and that now she just had to wake up her vocal chords. The therapist had told me to encourage her to make natural, guttural sounds, like grunting, moaning, laughing, that kinda thing. So the random tickle attacks, teasing, and kissing all seemed to help, not that I really minded doing any of it. I smirk to myself.

I digress. It did seem to help though, because while she wasn't saying actual words, Peyton had been more vocal. Along with her facial expressions that I could read like a book, she now would grunt her displeasure at my teasing jabs at her. Pleasurable moans filled her when we kissed or I held her at night. There'd even been an occasional whine when we had been interrupted for the umpteenth time that day and I'd had to pull away from her. I was more than happy to see her start to make sounds while she had been mouthing words. None of it was very discernible and her voice would only crack through and make itself known for a couple syllables through each sentence, but still. The doctor assured me that this was a good sign, and most likely she was trying to make out the sounds of the words. He said eventually the odd sounds words turn to actual sounds of letters, which would transform into actual words. We still didn't know how long the process would take before she was back to speaking at a regular rate, but judging by her current progress, it'd be sooner than later.

All in all, I was very happy with her progress. I was enjoying seeing her open up and come alive again. Actually, I just enjoyed my time with Peyton in general. Like right now, I was thoroughly enjoying giving her a sponge bath on the bed, and no, not for those reasons. Pervert. Although I did appreciate the view, I loved just being able to be this close to her. I reveled in the fact that she trusted me enough to do this. It was times like this when I'd worship her, body and soul, and use every minute to remind her how much I loved her. After all, I had lots of lost time to make up to her for.

I sat on the edge of the bed next to her, armed with a warm wet worshcloth. She was dressed in a strapless tiny black bikini, to allow me more access to her skin, without leaving her completely revealed. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but I did have to clean her. Leaning over to her face, we shared a small smile before I kissed her forehead. "You ready baby?"

I waited for her nod, which she gave with a small hum. I smiled back down at her once more before bringing the cloth to her face. I gently start to wipe over her face, starting at her forehead. I follow her hairline, down over her cheeks, over her chin. "You know, you have the most gorgeous eyes. They're always so green and big, they're like my own personal emeralds. I'd get lost in your eyes everyday if you let me Peyt." I spoke gently to her, now moving over the skin around her mouth, following her Cupid's bow down to her lips with my finger. She smiles and kisses the finger pressed to her lips, blushing at my words.

I smile down to her, whispering, "close your eyes baby." She does as told and I gently wipe over her eyelids, moving down to follow the bridge of her nose, pinching at the end of it playfully as I speak. "And that blush, your absolutely adorable. I just want to wrap you up in my arms and never let go." I lean down to kiss the tip of her nose and she giggles, opening her eyes. She leans up before I can move away and presses her lips to mine, soft and a sweet emotions filtering through the kiss. I pull back and we share another smile, just enjoying being so close to the one we love.

I move her to sit up and face me, putting her hair in a loose ponytail. I resume my duty, brushing the both of her ears before wiping slowly down her neck, being sure to cover every inch of the skin. "And your neck, baby, it's so addictive. I just wanna kiss it all day, the way it makes you moan is absolutely delicious, kind of like your lips." I trail off. "Your shoulders...so strong but so frail..." I wipe down over her shoulders, over her arms, on by one. I take my time and thoroughly wash her all the way down to her fingertips, skipping over her cast. I lay a couple of kisses across her knuckles as I finish cleaning each hand. Intertwining our fingers of my free hand I tell her, "and you know, it always amazed me but all you ever had to do was hold my hand and all my fears would wash away. I hope I do the same for you, because no one has ever made me feel as safe as you do P."

Again she blushes, but I ignore it and release our hands, moving on to wipe over her collar bone and move slowly down her chest. I stay mostly silent through this part, putting all of my focus into reigning in my control. As I finish washing along the line of where the swimsuit material covers her breast, I skip over it and move right to the bottom, working my way down her toned stomach. "You're so beautiful angel," is the only thing I tell her. I can feel heavy green eyes burning holes through me, but I just stay focused on my work as I quickly approach her bikini line. Feeling my own face heat up, I decide to redirect myself for a moment and move to sit behind her.

She watches me with confusion for a second and when she lets out a small groaning noise I finally look up at her. "I have to get your back." She seems to accept this and only nods. I focus on her back, trying to clear my mind of the dirty thoughts that had flooded it just a moment ago. As I silently work, I notice a scar. I immediately remember that day in our childhood. We had been racing our bikes down the hill where we weren't supposed to be. We had just went down the hill and a car was coming. He saw us last minute and tried to swerve. Thank god Peyton swerved the other way, because while he would have missed me, she would have been hit. I remember how scared I was, watching her roll down the rest of the hill. She had looked terrible when she got up, road rash everywhere. Along the way though, something had stabbed into her back and cut her deep enough to leave the scar.

Coming out of my memory, I run my fingers over it. It's so weird to think of all these things, these moments between us, and Peyton doesn't remember any of them. Not quite knowing how I feel about that thought, I finish with her back and move back to sit between her legs. I encouraged her to lay down and after she was comfortable I gently took one ankle, moving her good leg to sit on my lap. I slowly cleaned her, working from her toes to her thigh. Again I focused only on controlling myself and not touching her where I had only dreamed of. Somewhere along the way, I heard her sigh and she closed her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. Her hands are resting on her naked stomach and she looks so calm and relaxed. Once I finish washing her other leg, again skipping the cast, I am reluctance to leave. Instead I take her good leg once again and massage her foot. She hums lowly. I smile and gradually work up her leg, her moans of appreciation egging me on, letting me know I'm not crossing any lines.

I suppose that we were both so lost in the comfort of the moment, and that's why we didn't hear the door creak open, or the shout of my name. However, the more than shocked voice whispering "Peyton?!" did break through to us. My hands froze on the thigh they had been rubbing, and I went rigid in my place between Peyton's legs. Peyton's face took on that confused and slightly scared look as she watched the person who was a complete stranger to her make their way towards us, again asking, "Peyton?! Is that really you?" My eyes widened and my heart plummeted as I watched our friend, who looked as if they'd just seen a ghost. Oh shit...


	7. Coming Clean

So I finally got it done. This chapter was incredibly hard to write. I hate transition chapters, but this one majorly important, and now we can move on with the story!

I tried to keep this one cleaner cut, as advised by Miguel51 (thank you for the review and advice) but I am sorry if it didn't come out completely right. I'm hoping now that the hard part is over, the next chapter is easier to write and I will definitely be working on the polishing and cleaning it up.

Thanks for the continued support, this story has gotten more love than I was expecting and am happy that you are all interested! Let me know what you think and drop a Review! It only takes a second and they always make my day! Criticism is welcome too, but please, no senseless hate.

Thanks again and enjoy!

Brooke POV

The breath that I had been holding in rushed out almost painfully as I jumped up to stand between the two. I stuck both of my arms out in an unconscious effort to hide Peyton from sight, even though it was a pointless effort. The man standing before me turned his attention from the blonde on the bed and sent his electric eyes my way. It only took a few seconds for his shock to turn to a red hot glare.

"Brooke?" He asked, sounding incredulous. He glanced back at the blonde before raging out, "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!?"

I saw Peyton flinch at the booming voice out of the corner of my eye and fought not to do the same. I glanced back at her to see her staring at us with wide, scared eyes, tucking into herself. I turned back to my other friend and squared my shoulders, trying to stare him down. I set my face and quickly prepared myself for what was sure to be an ugly conversation. After all, I had never seen my friend this angry.

"Seriously Brooke, what the fuck is this!?" He asks again hotly. He tries to step closer to the bed but I matched his step and stopped him from getting any closer.

"Nathan! Just calm down!" I seethe out, trying not to yell and further startle the fragile girl behind me.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN!? Are you kidding me right now!? You want me to calm down! You're hiding away our missing friend and you want me to calm down!" He breathes out raggedly, face red in anger. "How long Brooke? How long have you had her back and not fucking told us!? We're her friends too! And what the fuck happened to her!? Did you do this!?"

"WHAT!?" I can't help but shout this time. "Are you fucking kidding me!? NO! I would never!" I take a deep breath to calm myself down. "Listen, I can explain this whole thing. Just...just shut up and go down stairs with me and I'll tell you what's going on."

Nathan looks at me as though he isn't sure whether or not to believe me before he glances back at Peyton. Sighing, he reaches for my arm and almost jumps at the high pitched squeal like cry that Peyton lets out. I immediately turn and see her lunge up to a sitting position and trying to get up. I quickly close the small distance between us and embrace her.

"Hey, hey baby. It's okay. You're okay." I tell her gently and rock her as she clings to me. I look down at her as her head rests on my chest. She's staring, or actually, more surprisingly, glaring at Nathan as he has also moved to sit on the edge of the bed, worried about her. He looks hurt and unsure by the look he's receiving from her and tries to reach out to her. She only pushes further into me and lets out a sort of hissing sound.

He flinches back and turns his concerned look my way, apparently momentarily forgetting his anger.

"Peyt?" He tries in a soft voice. She doesn't move from her spot against me though and shows no sign of taking any interest in her old friend.

Sighing, I direct my attention to Nathan but never loosen my grip on the blonde. "Nathan, maybe you should go..."

"Oh, and what? Forget all of this ever happened? Hell no!" He seethes out again, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

I shoot him a pointed look. "No," I speak with venom, "but here and now obviously isn't the place." I glance back down to the huddled figure in my arms. I meet Nathan's gaze again and continue, this time calmer. "Listen, just let me get everything under control here. Let her calm down. I'll call you in an hour or two and you can bring everyone over if you want, and we'll get this straightened out and I'll explain everything. Okay?"

His eyes shift again between myself and the blonde in my arms. I can see the distrust in his eyes and honestly I don't blame him. Finally, he lets out an aggravated sigh, "fine. But I swear Brooke, I will be back, whether you call or not!" His stern voice and set glare tell me that it's a promise, not a threat. I only nod my head and he moves to stand up. He stops to look back at us, or more precisely, Peyton. His face softens a little and he barely whispers out to her, "I hope you feel better soon Peyt. I've missed you and I'm really glad you're home." And with that he's out the door and I'm now faced with a very confused blonde, who doesn't look very happy with me...

Time Skip

I sighed again, rubbing my face. That seemed to be my thing today. I sat crouched down on the couch and sighed, yet again as I moved to sit up against the back of it, rubbing my temples. The stress from today was coming down on me like a hurricane. And the day had started out so nicely too... Oh well. Reality had to come crashing in at some point, no matter how much I tried to avoid it. Now I was faced with explaining my current situation, not only to my old friends, but also to Peyton.

Yea, that had been fun. As soon as Nathan had left, she had turned on me with that inquisitive look. I could see a hint of hurt in it too. I didn't want to hurt her by thinking I was lying to her, but I also didn't want to tell her the whole truth. Trying not to overwhelm her, I gave her a very basic explanation. Her other friends lived here in town, doctors didn't want to overwhelm her, we were waiting for her to get a little more grounded before I introducing her back into the big wide world, blah blah blah. In the end, she had seemed satisfied, but was now excited at the prospect of meeting everyone else, which is exactly what I was dreading.

I let out another breath, thinking about how I was going to explain this to our friends. I'd have to convince them to go along with the basic things I had told Peyton, especially leaving out the fact that she had left town years ago. Considering that the doctor really was concerned about her being overwhelmed though, and the fact that I'm sure they'd be pretty happy that she was back home themselves, I don't think it'll be totally impossible. That still didn't mean I was looking forward to it.

Ever since I made that call to Nathan about 20 minutes ago, my stomach has been in knots and the pounding in my head becoming even more prominent. I couldn't decide if I want to turn back time and avoid all of this or just go ahead and get it over with. The decision was apparently made for me though as I heard a knock on the door. Taking one last deep breath, I went over and opened the door.

"Hey," I started out sheepishly, unsure of what to say exactly I this situation.

Nathan, who was standing in the front of the line, only raised an eyebrow at me. Conceding, I silently opened the door and let them all in. My nerves tightening with everyone that walked in the house and settled themselves in the living room. Nathan, Haley, Lucas, Lindsay. I avoided everyone's eyes as they settled in the living room. Taking a gulp of air, I followed stiffly behind them.

Brooke: Peyton's sleeping, so we're have to stay kinda quiet okay? She'll probably be out for the next few hours...

Everyone nodded in understanding and then the room was engulfed in a suffocatingly awkward silence.

"So," Nathan's voice broke the tense air, "you wanna start explaining yourself?"

Again I sighed.

Brooke: Okay, so. There is a lot more to this than what it seems, as I'm sure Nate has already told you all what happened earlier today. So I need you guys to not interrupt me. I need you to just listen until I'm done explaining and then you can berate me and give me the third degree.

I waited to see nods from everyone before I continued.

Brooke: Alright, so about a month ago, I got a call from a hospital down in Arizona. I was in New York at the time. Peyton had been in a car accident and apparently I was still her emergency contact when they couldn't reach her dad. Somebody T-boned her and-

I started to get choked up on tears remembering how scared I was when I first got Peyton back. The fear, pain, sadness. Haley moved to sit by me and rubbed my arm, trying to comfort me. It took a minute to get myself under control and continue explaining.

Brooke: She- she was really hurt. Her whole left side was pretty messed up. Her leg was broken on the top and bottom. Plus her knee was dislocated. Her whole leg is in a cast. She had a broken rib and some internal bleeding, but the doctor said that it was healing just fine. Her arm was broke, but that cast only goes up to her elbow and her fingers are free to move around.

I let out a shaky breath and looked around at all of the worried faces staring back at me.

Brooke: But the-the worst part, is her head. She has this varying degree of amnesia or something. She-she couldn't remember. I-I was there when she woke up, because they had put her in a coma, and she recognized me, but she didn't remember me...

I trailed off in tears again.

Nathan: What do you mean? How can she recognize you but not know you?

Brooke: The doctor said that she probably remembers the feeling between us, but not any of the actual events that happened. She didn't even know my name! And she couldn't talk or even write!

Lucas: What!? Peyton can't talk!?

Brooke: Not really, at least for right now. The doctor said it's something that she'll have to remember and kind of be retaught. He said the same thing about her writing. She's been doing good though. We've been practicing her writing, and it's coming back, slowly. But it's coming back. And she's heading in the right direction to talking. She- she um, does this thing. It's like she thinks she's talking but there's no noise. She's starting to get her voice back and once in a while, it'll crack through when she's doing the 'silent talking' thing. Plus, she's using her voice by doing those sounds. Her doctor said that those are all good signs. Her making natural sounds, like laughing, or grunting, will help her realize that she can speak. He said she just needs to wake her voice up, that she is physically fine and able to speak.

Haley: So...it'll get better then? She'll recover from this?

Brooke: Yes, mostly. Her memory is the only thing he's not totally sure of. He said he expects her to get at least most of it back, but when it comes down to it, it's all just chance. She could remember everything tomorrow or never get back her lost memories. Plus there's no way to tell what she does or doesn't remember until it comes up.

Nathan: ...like how she didn't remember me...

Brooke: Don't take it personally Nate. She doesn't mean it, it's not her fault...

Nathan: I know that. I know. But if she doesn't remember me, but she does remember you, how much of her memory did she lose? 5 years? 10? Could they figure any of that out?

Brooke: Well...they kinda did.

I hesitated and sighed again before standing up and moving to grab two pieces of paper from my purse. I handed them to Nathan and everyone else moved around him to get a look.

Brooke: Those are her last memories. The one of me and her, I think it's from sometime in the beginning of middle school. Judging from how she reacted to Nathan, I'm guessing it was before we really met any of you. The other one, it um, it's the last thing she remembered before waking up.

The horrified gasps reminded me of how I felt when I first looked at that damned picture, reminding me just how close I was to losing Peyton.

Lindsay: Who is that?

Haley: That's Peyton's mom...as an angel

A heavy silence took over the room as they took all of it in. I took a moment for myself before tackling how we had to help her.

Brooke: Listen, I never meant to keep her from everybody, but the doctor was worried about her getting overwhelmed. That's why we came back to Tree Hill. New York would have been too much for her right now. Right now, she just needs some tender loving care and to be cushioned and cared for. He said once she settles to slowly introduce her back into her old life. She doesn't even have an old life now. Her work fired her because of all of this and she can't stay in her apartment. So I brought her home and right now she doesn't know what happened all of those years ago. She doesn't need to know. She needs us, and she can't remember that she lost us. We're all she has.

Lucas: So how do we help her?

Brooke: We just be there for her. We be her friend, forget all negative feelings from the past. We be the good friends we used to be for her and we let her remember on her own. We introduce her back into who she used to be, help her find herself again. Help her get talking again. Right now all she knows is that me and her are super close, like we were in the time frame that she remembers that picture, and that you are all a bunch of old friends that heard she got hurt and were worried about her. It's okay to explains things to her, but try to avoid any upsetting details. The doctor said to let her do as much remembering as she can on her own. Just...basically redo your friendship. He said to just act how you naturally would, it'll help her remember things between you. She already has remembered some little things between us, so I know that works. But you guys have to play along with all of this. She could lose it if something happens and everything comes crashing down at her at once...

Nathan: ...and then we could lose her again...

I only nod at his conclusion. Everyone sits, tense and thinking for what seems like forever before Haley starts to nod.

Haley: Okay. For Peyton.

Nathan: For Peyton.

Lucas only nods and Lindsay speaks out quietly, "I know I don't have any history with her, and she doesn't even know me, but I'd love to help her in any way I can too."

"Thank you," I mumble out looking at Lindsay. I move my eyes over all of them and feel tears of relief start to flow down my face. "Thank you."


End file.
